Book Description

This book provides a road map of suggestions, insights, and techniques that will help owners and entrepreneurs achieve success in selling their businesses—and optimize the prices they receive. It was written to take the mystery out of the process of selling a business, and to help newcomers to the subject become conversant with the knowledge they will need—and comfortable with the experts they will encounter—during the various stages in the selling process. The book covers the entire selling process step-by-step—from making the decision of when to sell, through determining how to market the company, to understanding the various legal documents involved in a sale, and on to closing the deal and handling the transition afterwards.Throughout the book John E. Sampson includes many experiences and stories from his successful career of working first-hand with business owners.He takes readers inside the selling process to help them seal their own deals. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great insights, expertise, and clear guidance for all
Whether you're well-versed or not in the how-to of selling a business, everyone should find value and great expertise in this book. The author presents facts and anecdotes to take you through the process in a way that keeps you interested and inspired. If you are looking to sell your business, I would think this book is an invaluable tool. But even if you're not -- if you're someone like me, who is interested in the subject but has little practical experience -- this was a refreshing and enlightening read. I highly recommend it.

Great Step-by-Step Description of How to Sell a Business
This extremely well written book was very helpful in providing me with a discussion of the step-by-step process of selling a business. I particularly liked the numerous stories of first-hand experiences that the author cites to reinforce his discription of the entire selling process.

It is very clear that the book was written by someone who has actually worked hand-in-glove with business owners in selling their companies. He certianly understands the problems owners face in the selling procress and how to best deal with them.

A "Must Read" for Business Owners Planning to Sell
After reading this book as a refresher, it brought back to my attention the considerable details in selling a business. The book has given me an update on all the steps involved in selling a business--everything from when and how to tell employees about a forthcoming sale, through negotiating the purchase price and related legal documents, all the way to the final closing process.

This book is a must read for anyone planning to sell his or her business.

A Comprehensive / Easy to Read Book on Selling A Business
Most other books written on the subject of selling a business tend to focus on such things as how to value a business and how to negotiate the selling price. This book covers these subjects and countless other aspects of the selling process--including many that I had not previously considered--all in considerable depth.

I particularly benefited from the extensive discussion of what the definitive sale agreement should include and why. Now when I sit down with my lawyer, I will have a much better understanding of what he is trying to accomplish for me, and I will be able to raise objective questions as he proceeds.

I am much better prepared to enter a selling process than I was before reading this very enlightening, yet easy to read, book. ... Read more

Book Description

In this brilliant reimagining of the business-fable genre, bestselling author Charles Decker present immediatelyengaging characters undergoing the throes of organizational change.

Going through a company merger or buy-out creates new challenges for managers and employees alike, but this unique business fable offers real-world advice for coping and even prospering.Based on the true story of a candle-making company in New England, Lessons from the Hive is actually a fictionalized look inside an organization, Bee Natural, Inc., as it deals with inevitable changes after its purchase by a consumer-products conglomerate.

Using a week-in-the-life approach, five major players in the organization are profiled, ranging from the recently installed tough CEO to a brand-new junior employee.The main character is a seasoned director of marketing who must face her own personal struggles with changes both at work and at home.Fast paced and entertaining, Decker's story parable is populated with likable, realistic characters who portray the tribulations and eventual success of a companyenduring organizational change.Readers will learn:

*More positive ways of looking at changes within anorganization.
*Less confrontational ways of dealing with conflicts at work.
*How to deal with fears of the unknown in a changing business environment.
*The importance of establishing trust in the workplace.
*How to deal with conflicting interpersonalrelationships in a professional manner.

Well experienced in organizational development, training, and human resources management through his extensive business publishing background, Decker uses this business fable to demonstrate that trust is a stronger force than fear and that organizational change can actually result in career opportunities rather than career demise.

Anyone involved in dealing with personal and professional transformation (and who isn't?) will find comfort in this delightful tale of a company dealing with the challenge of reinventing itself. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

After the Merger by Max M. Habeck, et al
The title does not accurately describe this book. There is absolutely no substantial discussion around post-merger integration. I must have been confused by the "After the Merger" title, there is limited value to this book if you are looking for strategies of how to handle merger integration, and little value for other purposes as well. The book describes generalities, for example: it takes the authors approximately 15 pages to relate that mergers should not be focused on cost cutting "efficiency synergies", rather they should be focused on "Growth Synergies". If you already have a basic understanding of merger integration concepts, this book is a waste of your time.

Attention: you can be (in) the next!
The word "merger" is one apt to strike fear in the hearts of any employee of a successful company in this era of globalization. No matter in what market you are or the size your company has, it is a possible target (or "source") for a future merger. As it is mentioned in the introduction of this book: any employee will experience at least one merger during his/her working life!

But, being such an important move, why are only 42% of the mergers successful? Why are they so focused on "fit" and "synergy" instead of vision and growth? Why have 86% of the companies failed in communicating their new alliance sufficiently? Why do only 32% of merging companies actively pursue risk management?

Having so many questions in mind, we should ask at least another one: What about the future?

The 3 authors, all top executives of A.T.Kearney with extensive experience in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), will not give the reader all the answers but at least show the way. They develop that subject focusing on 7 simple, but effective, rules that should help you steer through a merger a successful integration: Vision, Leadership, Growth, Early Wins, Cultural Differences, Communication and Risk Management. After placing the reader in a hypothetical situation related to each rule, the authors briefly explain it, point some facts they confronted in the A.T.Kearney Global PMI (Post-Merger Integration) Survey and give many examples (more than 40) involving well-known companies which had both successful and unsuccessful attempts in mergers, such as Novartis, Aventis and Exxon Mobil. These examples bring the subject into focus and help the reader understand how the particular rule being explored impacts the post-merger integration. At the end of each chapter, the authors state the rule and give the reader some practical suggestions on how to apply each rule to their own situation.

This book presents a powerful blueprint on how post-merger integration should be done. The seven rules presented confirmed how critical the so called Triangle of Merger Success (Get Buy-in, Provide Orientation and Manage Expectation) is during the post-merger integration process.

I strongly recommend this book to all professionals, especially those who are facing a merger, and top managers, who are/would be responsible for a present/future post-merger integration. It is an easy-to-read book, interesting and the case studies are clear and do not detract from the main thrust of the book. ... Read more

Book Description

The definitive guide to successful corporate transformation

?The framework Bob Miles illustrates in his new book has been the key tool Symantec has used to start the shift from being a technology-driven to a customer-driven company. Business leaders facing a variety of corporate transformation challenges will benefit from this important executive briefing.? -- Gordon E. Eubanks, Jr., chief executive officer, Symantec Corporation

The distillation of a stellar twenty-year career, Leading Corporate Transformation is consultant Robert Miles's reply to executives who want to be able to rise to the most pervasive challenge facing them today: how to achieve fundamental transformation without exposing the organization to unacceptable risk. Here, in the form of an executive briefing, are the expert guidance and tools you need to meet a variety of corporate transformation challenges, whether you are trying to reposition a successful company, revitalize a failing one, merge different businesses and cultures, or manage a leadership succession process. These insights are relevant not only for senior executives, but also for managers at all levels of an organization undergoing fundamental transformation. If you are a leader who must effect organizational change, you will want to keep this book close at hand.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

"The Corporate Transformation Framework."
"Corporate transformation challenges come in many forms and confront executive leaders with an array of vexing questions: How can I help my company, which is at the top of its competitive game, sidestep complacency and energize people to redirect their efforts and reposition their organization? How can I lead my company, which has lost its way and greatly depleted its resources, to revitalize itself for competitive excellence? How can our recently merged companies or functions overcome business and cultural differences? Or, more simply, now that I am in a position to do so, how can I effectively take charge of my organization and help people develop a new agenda to lead us through the next phase of its development? These questions, and more, have found successful resolution through the framework for leading corporate transformation described in this book (R. H. Miles)."

In this context, in the first part of this book, Robert H. Miles offers a framework for leading corporate transformation. This framework, as stated by Miles, identifies the major/required tasks that a leader-indeed, that leaders at all leves in the organization-must perform to achieve successful transformation without exposing the corporation to unacceptable risk :

I. Generate Energy for Transformation

* Confront reality

* Create and reallocate resources

* Raise the bar

* Model desired behaviors

II. Develop a Vision and Business Success Model

* Develop a strategic vision

* Model business success

* Analyze the total system: current vs. vision states

* Identify the gaps

* Focus on a few transformation initiatives

III. Align the Organization

* Restructure

* Implement infrastructure

* Reshape the culture

* Build core competencies

IV. Create a Transformation Process Architecture

* Educate and involve

* Create coordination and feedback mechanisms

* Communicate progress

* Fill transformation skill gaps

According to R. H. Miles these elements of the framework provide not only a platform for launching a corporate transformation, but also for managing transitions from one phase of transformation to the next en route to the vision state.

I highly recommend. ... Read more

Book Description

In January 2000, America Online and Time Warner announced the largest merger in U.S. history, a deal that would create the biggest media company in the world. It was celebrated as the marriage of new media and old media, a potent combination of the nation's No. 1 Internet company and the country's leading entertainment giant, the owner of such internationally renowned brands as Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, and Time magazine.

But only three years later, nearly all the top executives behind the merger had resigned, the company had lost tens of billions of dollars in market value, and the U.S. government had begun two investigations into its business dealings.

How did the deal of the century become an epic disaster?

Alec Klein has covered AOL Time Warner for The Washington Post since the merger. His reporting on the company led to investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. In Stealing Time, he takes readers behind the scenes to show how a clash of cultures set the stage for a spectacular corporate collapse. AOL's Steve Case knew it was only a matter of time before the Internet bubble of the late 1990s would burst, grounding his high-flying company. His solution: Buy another company to keep his own aloft. Meanwhile, Time Warner's Jerry Levin was enamored of new technology but frustrated by his inability to push his far-flung media empire into the Internet age. AOL and Time Warner seemed like a perfect match.

But the government forced the two companies to make concessions, and during the yearlong negotiations technology stocks tumbled. AOL executives lorded it over their Time Warner counterparts, who felt they were being acquired by brash, young interlopers with inflated dollars. The AOL way was fast, loose, and aggressive, and Time Warner executives -- schooled in more genteel business practices -- rebelled. In the midst of clashing cultures and conflicting management styles, AOL's business slowed and then stalled. Worse yet, AOL came under government scrutiny, and when the company conducted its own internal investigation, it admitted that it had improperly booked at least $190 million in revenue. The Time Warner rebellion gathered momentum.

This is a riveting story of ambition, hubris, and greed set amid the boom-and-bust years of the technology bubble. It is filled with outsized personalities -- Steve Case, Jerry Levin, Bob Pittman, Ted Turner, and many more. Based on hundreds of confidential company documents and interviews with key players in this unfolding drama, Stealing Time is a fascinating tale of the swift rise and even swifter fall of AOL Time Warner. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Excellent look behind the scenes at the AOL disaster
This is a terrific new book by a Washington Post reporter who followed AOL for the newspaper through its ups, its way ups, its downs and its way downs (now). The most appealing part of the book is that the subject is approached without malice. Klein could have taken a muckraking, expose the crooks attitude, but he did not. Perhaps this is because he spent so much time with "the boys at AOL" during the time he covered them for the Post.
The book appears to be very thoroughly documented and balanced. In the end, however, we are left with one, strong conclusion: AOL cooked the books to get the merger done with Time Warner and continued to cook them as long as possible to keep the numbers up after the merger. They did so, as has been documented previously, by booking phony ad sales when money flowed both ways and counting as revenue money that had not yet arrived.
This book is lively, a quick read and not harshly judgmental toward AOL, even while presenting strong indications that negative judgments would be justified. As at other high flying enterprises in the 1990s, AOL people often used company money like it was Iraqi dinars looted from the central bank. The "expensed" lavish trips and parties and rode their stock options to the stars. Almost every reference to Steve Case finds him in a different city, often other continents. Why work when you can travel in high style?
There is no doubt that a kind of stock and money madness enveloped AOL. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect, for some, will be the revelations about how much money was wasted both by AOL and its stock optioned employees on their own. While the record is shocking, I have a feeling that Klien barely scratched the surface in this regard.
It is clear, from this book and other reporting, that AOL should never have taken over Time Warner, any more than a mouse should try to eat an elephant. AOL was flying high on the combination of its subscriber revenues, temporarily inflated ad revenues and, more importantly, the expectations of investors that the Internet had no known limits (it did). Most of this had to be known Steve Case and his high spending, high flying group at AOL. They went ahead with the merger anyway, at all costs. Turns out, they lost their jobs and, for many of them, their fortunes. This was not a good merger that went bad, this was a merger that should never have even been considered, much less finished.
This book should be interesting to anyone who follows American business, who invested in tech stocks during the gold rush and anyone else who simply wants to learn about human nature and money. Highly recommended.

Excellent tour through the AOL Time Warner disaster
This is a terrific new book by a Washington Post reporter who followed AOL for the newspaper through its ups, its way ups, its downs and its way downs (now). The most appealing part of the book is that the subject is approached without malice. Klein could have taken a muckraking, expose the crooks attitude, but he did not. Perhaps this is because he spent so much time with "the boys at AOL" during the time he covered them for the Post.
The book appears to be very thoroughly documented and balanced. In the end, however, we are left with one, strong conclusion: AOL cooked the books to get the merger done with Time Warner and continued to cook them as long as possible to keep the numbers up after the merger. They did so, as has been documented previously, by booking phony ad sales when money flowed both ways and counting as revenue money that had not yet arrived.
It is clear, from this book and other reporting, that AOL should never have taken over Time Warner, any more than a mouse should try to eat an elephant. AOL was flying high on the combination of its subscriber revenues, temporarily inflated ad revenues and, more importantly, the expectations of investors that the Internet had no known limits (it did). Most of this had to be known Steve Case and his high spending, high flying group at AOL. They went ahead with the merger anyway, at all costs. Turns out, they lost their jobs and, for many of them, their fortunes.
There is no doubt that a kind of stock and money madness enveloped AOL. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect, for some, will be the revelations about how much money was wasted both by AOL and its stock optioned employees on their own. While the record is shocking, I have a feeling that Klien barely scratched the surface in this regard.
This book should be interesting to anyone who follows American business, who invested in tech stocks during the gold rush and anyone else who simply wants to learn about human nature and money. Highly recommended.

The mother of all culture clashes
This is an excellent book on a variety of scores.

It is eminantly readable and well written--informative and entertaining and very difficult to put down.

It describes the economies and cultures of two very different companies. AOL, a new breed upstart with a strong central management focus--with a desire to get into 'media content' to feed it's distribution focus, and Time Warner, a staid veteran with decentralized units,--with a desire to get into 'internet distribution' to supply it's 'media content' These mutual needs led both companinies to overlook the obvious faults of the other, and the vast culural gaps between the two.

AOL comes off more poorly than Time Warner, mostly due to it's over the top 'dot.com' management and financial chicanery, but in truth AOL was operating in a persmissive environment and did little that was frankly 'illegal', although a lot that was unethical. Time Warner was the dupe, and as such they are as much to blame. It's CEO worked toward a desire to participate in the internet age without involving his board or other company insiders, and not really understanding the way AOL took advantage of T-W's need to get into 'cyberspace' at almost any cost.

Part of the fascinating story is the way AOL frantically used increasingly dicey techniques to keep their earnings and stock price up before the merger. so that Time Warner wouldn't catch on to the the marginal value that AOL really held for them.

Another interesting part is the description of the phenomenal cultural divide that destroyed any chance the companies could pull off any of the touted synergies, or similar catch phrases that now mark the burial grounds of the dot.com era.

The book also is very good at describing the melt down that eventually took place when earnings and synergies and hopes could no longer be kept artificially afloat.

The character sketches of the leading players are riveting, and are skillfully done by the author to provide a basis for understanding the agendas and goals of each person involved in this whole convulted mess.

As I finished the book my reaction was that AOL was a fast talking sharpie that took advantage of an incredibly naive Time Warner. It was less a steal than a well done con.

Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread
Although I have read a lot about the AOL-Time Warner merger and its aftermath, the national financial press did not do full justice to the story. Stealing Time does, however, and I highly recommend the book to you.

Alec Klein has a particularly good vantage point, having covered AOL for two years for The Washington Post. In the course of that assignment, he discovered that AOL was using sleazy advertising sales practices and illegal accounting to "achieve" its earnings growth. Primary motives for these despicable practices were power hunger, greed and a desire to pump AOL stock while the merger was pending (it was an all-stock deal). When the book focuses on those parts of the story, Stealing Time is riveting reading.

The bulk of the book covers what Time Warner was thinking (apparently not very much) as the merger developed and was pursued through the regulators . . . and the very ugly aftermath while AOL collapsed and the absurdity of the "synergy" concepts were exposed as bankrupt.

The book is enlivened by many anecdote-rich episodes (such as Jeff Bewkes calling Steve Case out in an executive meeting) and detailed interviews with those involved.

You will also get many insights into why so many dot-coms failed. AOL was stripping those who needed its advertising of as much cash flow as possible through indefensible negotiating tactics.

The advertising sales practices described here rank with the accounting at Enron as the sleaziest business actions taken by a major company that I have read about. It's enough to make you want to cancel your AOL subscription! . . . if you still have one.

If I liked the book so much, why didn't I rate it at five stars? Well, I think the book should have focused more on AOL and less on the aftermath at Time Warner. The inevitable shuffling of the deck chairs among the soon-to-be-fired or -retired executives isn't all that interesting. Sure, Time Warner was abused by AOL. But watching all of the ugliness of the abuse didn't make the story any better.

As I finished the book, I realized that any time that a "big picture" CEO is looking for partners . . . that's a recipe for disaster. Avoid those stocks!

Hugely informative and unfailingly entertaining
In a very efficient 300 pages, Klein superlatively tells us so much more than just the utterly fantastic account of how one of the world's greatest media brands was indeed stolen by the upstarts from AOL. I found much insight here into the history of the dotcom bubble and death spiral; the desperate search for response by old media companies to the advent of the web; the corporate culture issues that helped doom the merger; the sordid details of the wantonly deceitful games AOL's people played with their numbers during the fateful 12 months between contract signing and closing with TW; brilliant compact sketches of all the key figures; and more. Since AOL's rise and fall was so inextricably linked to the chimera of vc-infused dotcom ad budgets, Klein's book provides an important lesson in understanding the absurd fragility of the whole struture of the bubble economy. ... Read more

Book Description

Just as organizations have survived other recessions, they will come through this latest one-but they will need help to recover from it. In this book, acclaimed author and consultant Mitchell Marks offers the wisdom drawn from his many years of experience in helping organizations weather and manage the storms of mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing. Marks shows senior executives, team leaders, HR directors, and consultants how to get jaded employees back on track, carry them through the transition, and motivate them to perform at their best. He provides comprehensive guidance on "transition management," explaining how to approach the new and create a context for recovery. And he details how to revitalize the entire organization-the individual spirit, teams and their performance, and organizational systems.
Mitchell Lee Marks (San Francisco, CA) is an independent management consultant specializing in helping firms plan and implement mergers, restructurings, and other transitions. He also consults in areas of CEO coaching, senior team development, HR development, and corporate culture. Previously, he was senior director at Delta Consulting Group and national chair of the HR Management Practice Group at William H. Mercer, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well written and incredibly helpful
Our company, like many others, has gone through merges, acquisitions, downsizings, and other transition. Marks, who is an independent consultant based in San Francisco with experience in over 100 organizational transitions, has written an outstanding book that tells how to revive employee morale, workteam performance, and organizational effectiveness following difficult transitions. Marks knows his stuff--his approach is well grounded in organizational behavior theory, but he presents it in a straight forward way. And, he offers numerous case studies from companies like Pfizer, Seagrams, Qualcomm, and Kyocera.

Marks presents a model for helping employees let go of the baggage they gathered from mismanaged mergers and difficult downsizings, so they can look forward to "charge up the hill" and achieve desired business results. This book is a must for any senior executives who has led a company through a difficult period--or for one who has taken over a firm after a merger or other tough period. It also is very helpful for middle managers and other employees. Marks shows them how to focus on what they can control over their work situation rather than fret about what they cannot control.

The book is enlightening, helpful, and not jargony. Am I gushing too much? Let me just say that after I read it, I bought ten copies of the book for my team! ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive guide helps readers identify key issues and sale or transfer strategies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

M&A : A to Z
Serves as an excellent introduction into the valuation of small to middle market companies. Basic valuation techniques along with strategic possibilities and guidance through the M&A process, including synergistic possibilities and affects on purchase price. Could be more involved on the psychological effects and pressures/demands on the seller/buyer? ... Read more

Book Description

The 2003 Cumulative Supplement thoroughly updates Mergers and Acquisitions: Business Strategies for Accountants, Second Edition. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Invaluable Handbook for Entrepreneurs
A "blue collar" book for gaining a negotiating advantage. From reading financials to closing strategies . . . this twenty dollar book saved me thousands. If your buying a business . . . or selling one . . . you'd be a fool not to invest in this one. ... Read more

Book Description

"If a partner understands better the role alliances play in business strategy, is able to engage in a strategic conversation around the needs for and benefits derived from an alliance, and has a more sophisticated approach to partner selection, there should be fewer conflicts down the road." -from Alliance Competence

Dell Computers revolutionized the PC market when the company formed an alliance between Intel and FedEx. Through this partnership, Dell was able to mass-customize and deliver computers faster than most of its competitors.

With monthly losses around $1 million, USAir decided to join forces with British Airways. Through this alliance, USAir became a global player in the airline industry, and gave both companies the ability to save millions in annual costs by incorporating joint purchasing of services, fuel, aircraft, and more.

Strategic alliances are becoming more and more essential to the viability of a company. These alliances are pervasive throughout the corporate landscape and have a big impact on the way business is conducted across the globe. Written by strategy experts from the University of Virginia's prestigious Darden School, Alliance Competence combines the latest research and case studies to explore the key aspects necessary to develop a successful alliance.

Enhanced by a five-year study of global companies, this book offers unique insights about building the foundations of alliance competence. These competencies provide firms with a source of sustainable competitive advantage that will help them compete more successfully in global markets. Through actual "war stories" the problems and challenges that alliances tend to face are revealed, as well as concrete suggestions for managing through the evolutionary cycle.

After examining all the research available, the authors introduce a process they've developed called The No Blame Review(TM) (NBR). This collaborative, nonjudgmental process helps alliances constructively confront times when the alliance seems off track. The NBR creates an objective, nonthreatening, and non-value-laden opportunity for alliance managers and strategic sponsors on both sides to raise, investigate, and review serious issues. It also allows partners to check the alliance's vital signs and to make a determination that all systems are in alignment. This process provides the most positive approach to conflict resolution.

The insight, real-world examples, and research featured in Alliance Competence will give you the tools and diagnostics necessary for locating potential allies and creating a successful alliance.

"A thoughtful, experience-based exploration of the subtleties and nuances that must be addressed when entering into complex alliance relationships. Required reading!" -Lawrence M. Small, President and COO, Fannie Mae

"From global service enterprises to e-business start-ups, firms in the future will win or lose by how well they manage their alliance strategies. This book is a gold mine of valuable perspectives, useful advice, and practical checklists that will help you tilt the game in your favor. Read it and, more importantly, use it to develop your own alliance competence." -Benjamin Gomes-Casseres, Director, MBA Program, Brandeis University and author,

The Alliance Revolution

"This book gives us a frame for learning-in terms of basics, it's the best I've seen. A must-read for those seeking prosperous alliances!" -Dr. Stephan Kessel, Chairman of the Executive Board, Continental AG, Hannover

"In this time when alliances are crucial to the organization, all partners must understand and commit to the success of the alliance. This book makes these issues clear and provides tools to achieve-a very valuable resource for anyone in the business world today." William Mustain, President and CEO, Comdial Corporation ... Read more

Reviews (1)

360 degree Perspective
The book provides a 360 degree perspective on business alliance. It captures both the difficulties and opportunities involved in developing business alliance. It also outlines the resources and skills needed. The values of business alliance are also incorporated into the competitive advantage framework. The book is filled with detail to 'walk the talk', but the content tend to be ocasionally repetitive. ... Read more

Book Description

From the best-selling author in the M&A field comes this comprehensive sourcebook for the M&A professional. In the past year, U.S. companies closed nearly 8,000 deals worth almost 800 billion - including the biggest deal of all time: the merger of Travelers and Citibank to form CitiGroup, a 70-billion-plus deal that created a financial giant. Worldwide mergers and acquisitions were double that amount in the number of deals and dollars. Experts predict even more mega-mergers in theyears to come. The need for accurate information to make these deals go smoothly has never been more paramount. Readers will find literally thousands of essential terms, phrases, resources, and other invaluable material in this indispensable guidebook by the author of the classic The Art of M&A. In the M&A Deskbook and Dictionary, Stanley Foster Reed brings together under one roof key words and phrases specific to merger/acquisition and related activities. More than just a basic dictionary, Reed adds supporting etymology, encyclopedic entries, and expanded legal citations. This unique sourcebook will include statutory law and regulations, bibliographical data, and other resource material to help M&A deal makers find and understand the information they need to know. ... Read more

Book Description

Readers will find articles by more than 60 of the leading M & A practitioners, plus principles and techniques illustrated with Fortune 500 case studies. New topics include the restructuring of debt-laden corporations, issues impacting medium-sized companies, and the implications of global markets. Updated and expanded areas include new cases to illustrate growth and diversification, an in-depth treatment of selling M & As, updated tax information and banking arrangements, and more. ... Read more

Book Description

7 x 7 Technique • Analogies and Metaphorical Thinking • Association Assumption Reversal • Attribute Listing • Brainstorming • Brainwriting Conscious Intuitive Techniques • Crawford Slip Method • Delphi Technique • Discontinuity • Drawing Techniques • Excursion Technique FCB Grid • Forced Relationship • Force-field Analysis • Gordon/Little Technique • Involving an Outsider • Left-brain/right-brain Thinking Lotus Blossom Technique • Mind-mapping • Morphological Analysis • Nominal Group Technique • Pattern Language • Problem Reversal Questions • Random Stimulation • Rice Storm • Scenarios • Sensory Images • Six Thinking Hats • Storyboarding • Synectics • Two Words Technique • Unconscious Intuitive Techniques • Verbal Checklist An Ultimate Book from Capstone ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great, practical overiew of creativity techniques
This book provides a clear, concise guide to creativity techniques. The introduction stresses the need for quantity to create quality when generating ideas. Each of the 50 techniques is outlined in a few pages with a clear focus on practical application. If you want a book with a lot of theory behind creativity this is not for you, but if you want to actually get started, this book can help (fast). The book covers both individual and group techniques and also categorises the techniques for either problem solving or idea generation. This book will prove very useful whether you are looking to improve your own creativity, or get the best out of others. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Irene Rodgers, Charles Gancel, and Marc Raynauld Successful Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic Alliances provides a proven approach to understanding, analyzing, and acting on cultural differences in today's increasingly global M&A marketplace. Based on interviews with senior executives across Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia, it explains how to address the operational differences between organizations with divergent cultures and helps readers manage the emotional dimensions of multicultural M&A transactionsncluding reassuring key executives to head off costly defections. ... Read more